Doctoral defence: Raimond-Hendrik Tunnel “Video Game Design and Development Bachelor's Curriculum for Estonia“

On 4 March at 14:15 Raimond-Hendrik Tunnel will defend his doctoral thesis "Video Game Design and Development Bachelor's Curriculum for Estonia" for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science).

Supervisor:
Assoc. Prof. Ulrich Norbisrath, University of Tartu

Opponents:
Assoc. Prof. Martin Sillaots, Tallinn University;
Prof. Jessica Bayliss, Rochester Institute of Technology (USA).

Summary
Doctoral dissertation: What to Study to Make Video Games?

The lecture had already started when Arno made it to the auditorium. Last night Arno was up late, building a video game with his friends. Arno is very passionate about making games but worries about not being capable enough to work in that field.

A doctoral dissertation at the University of Tartu studied what skills and knowledge Arno should have for a successful career. Most of the studied Estonian entertainment software companies said that to be a game designer, Arno should have a varied background. He needs to be able to manage projects and communicate professionally with game artists and programmers. In one company, the game designer position was recently renamed project manager. Even if Arno just wants to program, he still needs to understand game design. One company said: “A programmer who does not know about user experience is a bad programmer.”

Arno needs to be skilled with game engines. These are modern tools that are used to make video games. The results were compared with similar studies from 10 years ago. At that time, there were no popular game engines – at least not Unity and Unreal Engine, which are now in high demand at Estonian companies. It would be wise for Arno to study both of them. Doing so would broaden the job opportunities and not leave Arno stuck with just one skill set – who knows what engines and tools will be used 10 years from now.

To be employed, Arno needs to make games. Companies need responsible employees with strong work ethics. When Arno applies for a game designer or developer job, the companies want to see and play his games. Arno needs a portfolio.

The dissertation mapped out the Bachelor’s curricula from Europe that would suit Arno’s and the entertainment software industry’s needs. These findings led to a Bachelor’s curriculum plan and its design principles. This helps Arno and higher education institutions learn and teach things that help him be good at his professional career.